Posts Tagged ‘cover reveal’
First Day of Spring Cover Reveal
Posted on: March 21, 2022
- In: Books | quotes
- 82 Comments
“That is one good thing about this world…there are always sure to be more springs.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea
I hope everyone is enjoying the first day of spring if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. This is typically a time for new birth. So to celebrate, I am revealing the cover of my upcoming new birth, book #9 of the Amanda Travels series.
Amanda in France: Fire in the Cathedral
Amanda is in love! With Paris – the city of love. She’s in awe of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral. While there, she gets to work as a volunteer and stay in a famous bookstore, along with her bestie Leah and Leah’s eccentric Aunt Jenny. A dream come true for a book lover like Amanda.
Except, while she’s at the Paris Opera House there is a bomb threat. Then the lights go out during their visit to the Louvre. Worst of all, a devastating fire blazes in Notre Dame. Why does a mysterious man, who claims to be a busker, writer and artist, show up every time something bad happens?
Join Amanda as she explores the exciting streets of Paris, the fabulous Palace of Versailles and the colourful gardens of the painter Claude Monet, all the time looking for clues as to who would want to destroy such a beautiful, historic cathedral.
Comments from beta readers:
Children all over the world, impatiently waiting for this latest addition to the Amanda travel series, will not be disappointed! M. Iberg
I found the book compelling in the way a tragic news story has been woven into a mystery for children. Readers will want to explore more about the famous cathedral after reading this book. S. MacArthur
So, without further ado… Drum roll please… Here it is!
I hope you love it as much as I do.
The book is scheduled to be birthed, I mean released in September 2022.
“If people did not love one another, I really don’t see what use there would be in having any spring.”
― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
- In: Books | guest posts | Writing
- 41 Comments
In December 2012 a good friend of mine gave me a copy of The Emotion Thesaurus – A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, as a Christmas gift. It was the best gift ever and has been a huge help to my writing over the past six years. Since then I have recommended this useful writer’s aid to many other writers.
For the last month, I’ve been part of a Street Team for Angela and Becca at Writers Helping Writers, who are launching their new writing book on February 19th. Because they are known for showing, not telling, they decided it would be fun to keep the thesaurus book’s topic a secret until the book cover reveal…WHICH IS TODAY!
It’s been hard keeping quiet about this, so I am thrilled I can finally announce that The Emotion Thesaurus Second Edition is coming!
Many of you writers know (and possibly use) the original Emotion Thesaurus. It released in 2012 and became a must-have resource for many because it contained lists of body language, thoughts, and visceral sensations for 75 emotions, making the difficult task of showing character emotion on the page much easier.
Over the years, people have asked Angela and Becca to add more emotions, so they decided to create a second edition. It contains 55 NEW entries, bringing the total to 130 emotions.
This book is almost DOUBLE IN SIZE and there’s a lot more new content, so I recommend checking it out. And you can. Right now.
Here is a sample writing tip for you.
To view a sample of the emotion vindicated click here
and click here to see a full list of all the emotions listed in this amazing new addition.
Preorder Alert!
This book is available for preorder so you can find all the details about this new book’s contents by visiting Amazon, Print & Kindle, Kobo, iBooks, and Indiebound, or swinging by Writers Helping Writers.
One last thing…Angela & Becca have a special gift for writers HERE. If you like free education, stop by and check it out. (It’s only available for a limited time!)
If you struggle with showing instead of telling or just need new ideas of how to express your character’s emotions, check this book out, you won’t be disappointed. I’ve preordered mine.
- In: Books | Writing
- 59 Comments
What a great start to the year! I can now reveal the cover for Amanda in Holland-Missing in Action. I am so excited about this cover as it depicts exactly the colour and excitement of Holland that Amanda experiences. My publisher designs the covers of my books and she always gets what the book is about.
What do you think?
Amanda is in Holland to see the tulips with her best friend, Leah. She is busy travelling the canals of Amsterdam, visiting Anne Frank House, checking out windmills and a wooden shoe factory, and taking pictures of the amazing flowers of Keukenhof Gardens. She is also keen to find out what happened to her great uncle who never returned from WWII and was declared missing in action. What she doesn’t expect to find and fall in love with is Joey, an abandoned puppy. While trying to find a home for him, she meets Jan, a Dutch boy who offers to help, a suspicious gardener, a strange woman on a bicycle, and an overprotective goose named Gerald.
Follow Amanda around the charming country of Holland, filled with colourful tulips, windmills, and more bicycles than she could have imagined. Once again, intrepid traveller Amanda encounters danger and intrigue as she tries to solve more than one mystery in a foreign country.
Amanda in Holland-Missing in Action is scheduled to launch on September 1, 2019, and is available for pre-order on all Amazon sites.
A Revised Cover Reveal
Posted on: August 13, 2016
- In: Books
- 48 Comments
My publisher and I have created a fresh new cover for my next book, Amanda on the Danube – The Sounds of Music. I am excited to share the finished product with my readers. We will be updating the covers of all the books in the Amanda Travels series soon.
Amanda on the Danube – The Sounds of Music will be released October 1, 2016, and is available for pre-order here on Amazon.
What other authors are saying about this Amanda Travels adventure:
A charming and fast-paced story that will delight its young audience as Amanda and Leah travel along the historic Danube River to deliver a very unique and mysterious violin.”
~ Suzanne de Montigny, Award-winning author, Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy
Young readers will have great fun travelling alongside Amanda Ross as she cruises down the Danube by riverboat, revelling in the picturesque landscape and captivating cities along the way. This novel is chock-full of social and cultural history that will leave adventurers longing to explore this part of Europe for themselves. Thanks to a mysterious boy who entrusts Amanda with a timeworn violin, this fast-paced mystery will keep readers guessing until the very last chapter.”
~ Jan L. Coates, Children’s Author, Governor General’s Literary Awards
The cab dropped them off beside a long, low boat with The Sound of Music written in large letters on the side. The ‘f’ was replaced with a treble clef.
Once on board, they entered an elegant lobby furnished with blue velvet chairs and couches. “This is sooo adorable,” Amanda said. “You love that Sound Of Music movie, Mom, and there are pictures of the von Trapp family all over the walls.”
Her mom’s face lit up when she saw the familiar scenes.
Suddenly, everything went black and Amanda couldn’t see a thing.
“Hiya, Canadian girl.”
Amanda recognized that English accent. She peeled off the hands covering her glasses and turned around. “Leah!” She gave her tall, blonde friend a huge hug.
“We only just got here ourselves. Mum and Dad are putting the luggage in our room. Your room is just across from us.” Leah flashed a wide grin at Amanda’s parents. “I’m so glad you could make this trip. We are all going to have loads of fun. Come, Amanda, let’s explore the boat.”
“See you later.” Amanda barely looked at her parents as she tripped down the narrow hallway behind Leah.
First stop was a large room completely surrounded by windows. Round tables with crisp white tablecloths, set for a meal – without a fork or knife out of place – indicated it was the dining room. Sparkling chandeliers hung from the ceiling.
“Wow! Every table has a view. This will be a fab place to eat.” Amanda looked around. “I hope we can all eat together.”
“Mum has already made sure of that. We got here early so we got to pick which table we wanted for the entire trip.” Leah pointed to a table at the very front of the boat. “Ours is that table for six, the one with the best view.”
Amanda noticed an undone shoelace on her runner and bent down to tie it. Her purse slipped off her shoulder and fell to the floor. As she picked it up, she spotted small red dots sprinkled on the beige and blue carpet.
“What’s this? Do you think someone spilled ketchup?”
Leah bent down to look closer. “Yes, it could be tomato sauce.”
More red spots appeared further along. “Something must have dripped from a plate when they were clearing the tables,” remarked Leah.
“I think it might be… blood.” Amanda followed the spots to a set of stairs.
Leah shook her head. “There goes your overactive imagination again.”
- In: Books | Writing
- 68 Comments
I have a lot to celebrate. Can you believe I have been blogging for six years! It has been an amazing journey where I have met so many great people and learned so much. So many of my dreams have come true in these six years. Bring out the champagne!!
I am excited to share the cover and blurb for the next Amanda adventure, available October 1, 2016. I think it is fabulous! Hope you like it too. I had fun revisiting the sites along the Danube as I wrote this book.
Twelve-year-old Amanda Ross finds herself on an elegant riverboat with her bestie, Leah, cruising down the beautiful Danube, passing medieval castles, luscious green valleys and charming villages. When she is entrusted with a valuable violin by a young, homeless musician during a stop in Germany, a mean boy immediately attempts to take it from her. Back on their cruise, Amanda struggles to keep the precious violin safe for the poor prodigy. Along the way, she encounters a mysterious monk, a Santa Claus look-alike, and the same nasty boy. Follow Amanda down the Danube, through Germany, Austria and Hungary, as she enjoys the enchanting sounds of music everywhere she goes. She remains on the lookout, wondering just who she can trust.
Wait, there’s more!! It has also been six years since my first book was published. To celebrate, Amanda in Arabia – The Perfume Flask, ebook version, will be available free from June 17 to 30th on most sites. Here is a chance to meet Amanda, if you haven’t yet. Please tell your friends! And if you feel inclined to write a short review, that would be most appreciated. Thank you so much for those who already have.
Thanks so much for all the support you have given me and Amanda over the past 6 years. I could not have done it without you. Mucho Besos
Darlene Foster's Blog 